Why Do So Many People Dislike Their Bosses?

Bosses are some of the most hated people on earth — and a new study breaks down exactly why.

Talent management expert DDI surveyed 1,200 full-time workers from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India and southeast Asia in an effort to learn more about what today’s leaders are doing right — and wrong.

The results showed workplace discord knows no geographic boundaries — overall, fully half of respondents said they felt they could do their bosses’ jobs better than the bosses themselves do, a number that isn’t terribly surprising given that one in three feels the person in charge isn’t terribly competent.

Here are some other interesting findings:

35 percent said their bosses never or only sometimes listen to their work-related concerns

46 percent report they’re never involved in decisions that affect their jobs

DDI also found bosses largely lack courtesy, respect, honesty and tact in their interactions, which could be why fewer than 40 percent of employees are motivated to put forth their very best efforts

60 percent of respondents said their boss has actually damaged their self-esteem

There were a couple bright spots, though. The research revealed almost three-quarters of workers understood what their bosses expected of them, and 66 percent said their supervisors provide the necessary support required for their jobs.

But if companies are worried about high turnover, this fact should give them pause: nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said they’d left a past job primarily because of a boss, and nearly half said they were currently looking for a new workplace for the same reason.